At a time when the world has been plagued with negativity, 20-year-old artist Gina Brooklyn is spreading love and hopefulness with her music.
Brooklyn is from a small town in Ohio, where she was surrounded by music from a young age. Being raised in a musical household inspired Brooklyn to begin practicing music and provided her with artists such as her parents who she could look up to.
“My mom was a singer and my dad was a bass player. They met at a music festival. After they got married, they started a band together. Then I came about and broke into that. But I started singing when I was five and eventually taught myself how to play the piano and guitar,” Brooklyn explained.
From the age of five, Brooklyn knew that a career in music was in her future. After spending years of her childhood immersed in music, Brooklyn blossomed into her identity as a singer/songwriter and began her career at the age of 12.
“I was not a naturally gifted singer. I actually had to work hard at it because I did not have perfect pitch,” Brooklyn said.
“A lot of people didn’t understand what I was doing and thought that I was weird for wanting to pursue a career in the arts,” Brooklyn said. This did not stop her though. She explained that despite what others had to say about her decision, she continued working on school and her music, graduating early at the age of 16. “I have not gone back to college because I can go back at any time, and I figured I might as well use the time that I have to continue working,” Brooklyn said.
In her music, Brooklyn crosses boundaries with genre and instrumentation, combining pop, indie, folk and rock sounds. In her new single, “Selfish Air,” she integrates elements of the electronic genre within her vocals as well as an indie-pop style in the guitar.
While “Selfish Air” delivers an upbeat pop-rock sound, Brooklyn also experiments with other styles. She has incorporated folk and acoustic elements into music like “Butterfly.” Brooklyn harnesses a sense of self in her work through powerful vocals and attention to the structure and instrumentation.
Brooklyn writes, produces and plays all of her own songs, yet she credits a lot of her success thus far to the people backing her through her creative process.
“I have been so blessed in that aspect. I am surrounded by people who support me and truly want the best for me. They want me to be who I am as an artist. It has been really incredible, and I am so grateful for them and the experiences that we have had.”
With a supportive network by her side, Brooklyn described that a main source of motivation is spreading love and encouragement. “I do music because I want people to know that they are loved not only by myself but by the creator. That is one thing that pushes me and keeps me pursuing music. I consider music to be an act of service. What I do is not to glorify myself—it is to love people, and I do not take that responsibility lightly,” Brooklyn expressed.
This goal does not always come easy when faced with the pressures presented by the music industry, Brooklyn explained: “In this industry, it has become so surface level. Everything has become so unoriginal and so cookie-cutter. In a lot of ways, it can be difficult to spread that message. The industry is so polluted and surrounded by greed and selfishness. It is frustrating.”
Despite these challenges, Brooklyn continues to put her best foot forward with her music. She attributes a lot of her strength to her listeners. “I would not be where I am without the people who support me as an artist. It gives me the strength and courage to continue. It fuels my energy and makes me want to continue doing what I am doing.”
“Selfish Air,” Brooklyn’s latest single, is out now and available to stream on Apple and Spotify. Follow her on her social media on Instagram and Twitter, and stay tuned for more music.
